There were doubts about Joe Biden’s suitability for a second term even before his debate against Donald Trump. Polls now show that the TV debate has deterred more voters.
The pitiful performance of US President Joe Biden in the televised debate against Donald Trump is also reflected in the mood of the electorate. A growing number of voters believe that the 81-year-old should not run for another term, according to a survey conducted by US broadcaster CBS in cooperation with the polling institute Yougov.
Doubts about Biden’s ability to hold office grow
According to the survey, 72 percent of registered voters believe that Biden does not have the mental and cognitive health to run the government. Three weeks earlier, the figure was 65 percent. His challenger Trump fared better, but 49 percent of respondents also consider him mentally and cognitively unfit for the presidency.
Almost three out of four voters, also 72 percent, told CBS and Yougov that Biden should not even run for president. That is an increase of nine percentage points since the last survey in February. What is particularly alarming for the Biden camp is that 45 percent of registered Democrats also want the 81-year-old to withdraw his candidacy and make way for another candidate.
Of voters who say Biden should not run, the vast majority (86 percent) cite his age as a reason, 71 percent cite decisions he might make in office, and 66 percent cite his record as president.
Biden defends lead over Trump for now
A Morning Consult poll published the day after the televised debate paints a similar picture. According to the poll, 60 percent of eligible voters and 47 percent of Democrats believe that Biden should be replaced as presidential candidate. Of those surveyed who watched the televised debate on Thursday evening, 78 percent think Biden is too old for the presidency, compared to 64 percent of all voters who said the same a few days before the debate.
Bad news for the Biden camp also comes from the nonprofit Democracy Corps, which surveyed a group of voters leaning toward Democrats before and after the debate. “President Biden was seriously damaged by the debate,” it says in a summary of the results. However, Trump was not able to benefit from it.
In keeping with this, pollsters at Morning Consult report that Biden’s position in a direct comparison with Trump was, at least initially, not affected by his debate fiasco. According to them, the Democrat (45 percent) was able to maintain his lead of one percentage point over the Republican (44 percent).
Biden’s family against withdrawal from election campaign
The predominantly poor poll results are unlikely to alleviate the panic that has broken out in parts of the Democratic Party following the debate debacle. According to media reports, some high-ranking Biden supporters have already privately expressed doubts about his candidacy – which they deny, however.
Publicly, leading politicians of the party – including former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and her successor Hakeem Jeffries, as well as the Senator from Georgia, Raphael Warnock – have so far demonstratively backed Biden. Warnock, who is being considered as a possible replacement for the candidate, said on Sunday that Biden should “under no circumstances” withdraw his candidacy. “I am on Joe Biden’s side,” the senator assured. “And it is our job to make sure he crosses the finish line in November.”
Biden’s relatives are also said to have encouraged the 81-year-old to continue the race for the White House. At a family meeting at Camp David, the US President’s country estate near Washington, they assured him of their “unconditional support” and urged him to keep fighting, report CNN and the New York Times. Biden’s most influential advisor, wife Jill, made it clear in Vogue on Sunday: The family will “not allow these 90 minutes to define the four years he was President.”
Sources: CBSNews,“Axios”,Morning Consult, Politico, NBC News, New York Times, CNN, Vogue
